Today wraps up the conversation with Poet Trish Hopkinson.

VAH: What words of wisdom do you have for the emerging writer?

TH: The same I’ve been told by so many writers and professors—read more, write more. Beyond that, I like to share any other writing tips I come across and typically post them on my poetry blog.

VAH: What part does social media play in your writing career?

TH: It plays a much larger part than I originally expected. I follow the blogs and Facebook pages of lit mags and journals I like most, stay in touch with literary organizations, learn about opportunities from other poets and writers, post my publication successes, share poetry and other writing tips, promote fellow poets, and otherwise use my blog to support poetry and writing.

VAH: Do you belong to writing or author organizations and what benefit have you found in doing so?

TH: I am a member of the League of Utah Writers. So far, I’ve had too many conflicts to attend their meetings and gatherings, but I plan to attend their conference later this year and they have been supportive of work.

VAH: Do you have any favorite online sites or blogs that you find useful or interesting?

TH: Many! My favorite for inspiration and learning about new things is Brainpickings. They are constantly putting out new articles on a wide variety of topics. I also have several listed on my blog under Writing Resources, but my favorites are probably ErikaDreifus.com, The Review Review, and Winning Writers.

VAH: What was your writing education (formal or informal, structured or self-developed, etc.) and what were the pros and cons of your experiences?

TH: I was a nontraditional college student and spent several years taking one class at a time to gradually work toward my Bachelor of Science degree in English with a Creative Writing emphasis. Once my children got older I was able to take up to three classes at a time and finally graduated in December 2013. I’m now just staying active in continuing that education by writing, reading, and learning whenever I can—I call it a personal MFA. I may, at some point, discover I need a more formal community to continue progressing as a writer, but for now, I take an occasional workshop class online with Rooster Moans, go to a weekly open mic, and stay in touch with as many poets and writers as I can to build my writing community. Getting my undergrad really gave me all the tools I needed to continue learning and developing as a writer on my own. I don’t think I would have been able to learn all my education provided nearly as quickly on my own and I met some incredible writers and friends along the way.

VAH: Writing conferences, retreats, seminars – any favorites and why?

TH: I’d like to attend a writing conference at least once a year, but since this was my first year out of school, I haven’t had a chance to do so. I will likely check out everything I can locally before travelling to go to others.

Thanks so very much Trish for participating with Three by Five. For more of her published work, visit her publication list.

Bonus question: Three random, non-writing facts about you?

TH: I am a beer connoisseur, I have run two half marathons, and I volunteer at the Sundance Film Festival, 2015 will be my second year.

Provo, Utah poet Trish Hopkinson contributes to the writing community with her blog where she shares interesting writing tips, articles, calls for submissions (no fee only), and other info to help promote writing and poetry in general. She has always loved words—in fact, her mother tells everyone she was born with a pen in her hand. She has two chapbooks Emissions and Pieced Into Treetops and has been published in several anthologies and journals, including The Found Poetry Review, Chagrin River Review, and Reconnaissance Magazine. She is a project manager by profession and resides in Utah with her handsome husband and their two outstanding children. You can follow her poetry adventures online at her website, or Facebook or visit her on Linkedin.

Three by Five interviews publish on days that end in 3!

Today’s installment of January’s Three by Five conversation with Poet Trish Hopkinson is about the writing life.

VAH: Are you a full-time writer?

TH: I have a full-time job as a project manager for a software company. I’ve been with the company for over 15 years and I love what I do, but writing poetry is a necessity for me. I just am not happy unless I make time for it.

VAH: What gets you writing?

TH: I collect writing prompts, but I rarely refer back to them. I almost always have something in mind or on a list that I want to write, and since I have limited time available to actually do the writing, I’m usually ready to go when I do sit down to write.

VAH: I’ve got a whole book of prompts and ideas and even have them land in my email box. Like you, I rarely refer back to them. What is your “process” when working on a new piece of writing?

TH: Once I have a topic, I start composing the first lines and edit as I go. Once I have the first draft done, I’ll go back and do the first revision immediately—look for better word choices to add alliteration, assonance, and/or consonance; take out all the line breaks and then put in new line breaks, etc. If I do get stuck mid-poem, I’ll look for a form to help me move it along, such as a villanelle or a sonnet.

VAH: Do you have a submission system or plan?

TH: My process for submitting has really evolved over the last year. Essentially, I rely on Duotrope to track most submissions, I put deadlines in my Outlook calendar, and I keep a spreadsheet of the poems I want to submit, have submitted, and whether or not they’ve already been published and where. Since my time is limited, it’s important to me to be as efficient as possible. I have templates for cover letters and several bios of different lengths to help the submission process go more quickly.

VAH: Duotrope has been very helpful for me. I found I’m able to keep better track of where I’ve sent a piece that has gone out numerous times and not yet found a home. I’m trying a spreadsheet this year, after years of a pen and notebook tracker as well as Duotrope. What does your typical writing day include?

TH: I usually try to spend a few hours a few days a week. I get the urgent stuff out of the way first—submissions with deadlines and blog posts. If I am writing something new for a submission, I make sure to give myself at least a couple of weeks to write and revise before the deadline. If I have an idea for poem, sometimes I just have to stop everything else that I’m doing and get it written.

More Trish Hopkinson later in the month. Till then, enjoy this poem – Footnote to a Footnote via the Chagrin River Review.

Bonus question: What is a little known fact about you that will amaze and/or amuse?

TH: I’m a Deadhead. I love the Grateful Dead and used to go to concerts whenever I could before Jerry Garcia died.

Provo, Utah poet Trish Hopkinson contributes to the writing community with her blog where she shares interesting writing tips, articles, calls for submissions (no fee only), and other info to help promote writing and poetry in general. She has always loved words—in fact, her mother tells everyone she was born with a pen in her hand. She has two chapbooks Emissions and Pieced Into Treetops and has been published in several anthologies and journals, including The Found Poetry Review, Chagrin River Review, and Reconnaissance Magazine. She is a project manager by profession and resides in Utah with her handsome husband and their two outstanding children. You can follow her poetry adventures online at her website, or Facebook or visit her on Linkedin.

Three by Five interviews publish on days that end in 3!